Dead Fox
by Sol Winterfang71
Summary: Death. Pfft. I don't understand why everyone is so afraid of dying. Hell, I've been dead for almost a decade and I'm still sane. Okay, I lied. I'm not really sane, but who cares? I don't. In my opinion, being insane is fun. Now, let's see what kind of mayhem I can cause today... Rate M for v/g/l/sc
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Dead Fox

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Chapter One

Sighing quietly as he closed his eyes, Naruto calmly stalked down the bridge with purpose as his fellow male team mate, Uchiha Sasuke, remained on the defensive against the Demon Brothers while Haruno Sakura, the lone female member of Team 7, was engaged in combat with Haku and Hatake Kakashi was left to deal with Zabuza. Tazuna, left unguarded by the others, was frozen in place by the immense killing intent that choked the very air he breathed. Everything had been one bad idea after another ever since Sasuke demanded a higher ranking mission. Why couldn't the damn brat just relax and take it easy for a little while?

Standing at 6'2", 18 year old Naruto had shaggy dark crimson hair pulled back in a pony-tail that reached down to the middle of his back while his chin-length bangs framed his face, cold ruby red irises floating in pools of obsidian while black slit pupils sat in their cores, a defined and lean muscular physique, and sun-tanned skin bearing numerous scars of various size and shape. A set of three thin and jagged black lines decorated either of his cheeks, marks he possessed since birth.

Like usual, he was dressed in only a pair of baggy black and dark red camouflage pants tucked into black knee-high combat boots, a black sleeveless turtleneck with mesh sleeves that reached down to his elbows, a pair of black elbow-length fingerless gloves on his hands with a spiked strip of dark metal running across his knuckles, dark red ANBU-style bracers strapped to his forearms with an additional plate to cover the back of his hands, short length of thin chain hung from his belt at his left hip with a metal pendant hanging from it that was made of a single metal ring with an upside-down triangle set inside of it while a tassel of dark crimson string hung from either side of the pendant with a black feather tied to the end of each of the tassels, and his Konoha hitai-ate tied around his neck on a strip of dark red cloth. Attached to his belt at either hip was a dark crimson satchel-like pouch that reached down to just above his knees with black straps wrapping around his thighs to hold them in place while four dark crimson weapon pouches lined the back of his waist.

Looking at the Demon Brothers assaulting his arrogant team mate, the red haired teen sighed once more before withdrawing his hands from his pockets and stepping between them. Meizu was the first to notice Naruto's sudden presence, but was unable to alert his twin brother when Naruto swiftly jabbed the rogue in the throat with his left hand, the knuckle spikes punching through Meizu's flesh and causing his blood to spurt out while the masked Kiri nuke-nin clutched at his neck with fear. Unable to scream, Meizu suffered from a right backhand from Naruto, making him stumble and turn around slightly. Wrapping his left arm around the man's neck and gripping his chin with his right hand, Naruto paused for a moment and glanced to the side, idly noticing that Sasuke was still fending off Gouzu, who was just starting to take notice that his brother was missing.

_Crack!_

With a sharp jerk, Naruto broke Meizu's neck before spinning around and kicking Gouzu in the chest, knocking him back a little just in time for the claws on his right hand to sail harmlessly mere centimeters in front of Sasuke's face, who could only watch the metal sheaths slice through the air in front of him with his Sharingan eyes. Taking a few steps closer, Naruto spun around before slamming his booted heel into the side of Gouzu's right shoulder, snapping the bone at the joint and fracturing the socket itself.

"AARRGHH!" The sole remaining sibling of the Demon Brothers cried out, clutching his shoulder with his left hand. Before he could recompose himself or retaliate, Naruto struck again. Swinging his left fist around and striking the side of Gouzu's head with a backhand that ripped a series of jagged gashes into his scalp from his knuckle spikes, Naruto spun with the momentum and struck the shinobi with a right hook, sending his newly scratched metal rebreather/face mask skidding across the ground while moving in closer, slamming his left elbow into the side of Gouzu's neck to stun him for a few seconds. Wrapping his left arm around the back of Gouzu's neck and bending him forward, Naruto drove his left knee into the rogue's chest to keep him from fighting back before jerking his arm with a sharp twist, snapping the neck of the second member of the Demon Brothers.

"Wha...What the hell?" Sasuke hissed out with shock and disbelief than anger or jealousy as his Sharingan eyes faded away back to his original coal black irises; Naruto was always declining spars and taijutsu training, leaving everyone to believe he simply refused to use taijutsu for some strange reason. Now that he had seen what Naruto could actually do in a fight, Sasuke didn't know whether he was anxious to fight the red head or, dare he admit...Afraid. What startled him even more was the fact that every move was perfectly executed without any wasted energy or even a single opening in his stance; not to mention the fact it was infinitely brutal. "Since when could you fight like that?"

Standing at 5'11", 16 year old Uchiha Sasuke was dressed in a black skin-tight long-sleeve top, a black cloth face mask pulled up over his nose, white ANBU-styled bracers on his forearms with white armored plates covering the back of his hands, baggy black pants with white cloth wrapped around his legs from his knees down to his ankles, white ANBU-styled guards strapped to his shins, black closed-toe shinobi sandals on his feet, a set of white ANBU-styled body armor covering his torso with a black hood attached to the raised armored collar and pulled up over his head while the Uchiha symbol decorated the back of his armor, a belt of white armor plates around his waist with a knee-length half-cloak of black cloth hanging from it and a length of white cloth hanging down to his knees from the buckle in the front, and a Konoha hitai-ate tied around his neck on a band of black cloth. Strapped to either thigh was a pair of kunai holsters, a set of four weapon pouches attached to his belt behind his waist, a number of hidden spring-loaded kunai launchers built into the underside of his bracers, a couple more kunai hidden in his shin-guards, and two more pairs of kunai holsters stashed horizontally under his body armor in the back along his lower back.

"I've always been able to fight like that. It's the Sandaime who forbid me from fighting with comrades since he knows I'll kill anyone without hesitation." Naruto remarked as he calmy as he glanced as Sasuke over his shoulder, the look in his strange eyes startling the Uchiha; his eyes were cold and void of emotion, giving Sasuke the feeling of his soul being devoured by the empty pits. Looking forward once more without another word, Naruto disappeared back into the mist before Sasuke could question him further. Without hesitation, Naruto headed towards the area Sakura and Haku were fighting, only to come to a halt a short distance away from the two in question, his eyes slowly narrowing with something akin to anger. "Sakura..."

Standing at about 5'4", 16 year old Haruno Sakura had long cherry blossom pink hair pulled back into a thick braid that reached down to the small of her back, hypnotizing emerald green eyes, and light cream colored skin. She was wearing a pair of baggy dark crimson capri pants, a dark red midriff-baring top stretched tight across her E-cup bust with a white ring in the center of her upper back while a low-cut collar dipped down to reveal a decent amount of her plump cleavage, the broad white cuffs of her baggy dark crimson sleeves hanging a few inches past her finger tips, a sleeveless fishnet top under her shirt, black sandals on her feet, two pouches strapped to either thigh with one of each pair being filled with kunai or senbon, a medical bag set across her lower back, a weapon pouch on either side of her medical bag, and a white sash wrapped around her waist with one end hanging down to her knees in the front. Tied around her neck on a band of dark crimson cloth was her Konoha hitai-ate.

"Hm?" Haku muttered as she turned to face the red haired male, the senbon-riddled body of Sakura lying at her feet. Naruto simply stared down at his fallen team mate, his normally apathetic eyes suddenly showing signs of the smoldering embers that was his heart, the only visible sign of him showing any sort of emotion towards Sakura's apparent demise. He had never admitted it to anyone and often tried to lie to himself about his feelings, but Naruto had become attached to the intelligent and strong-willed young woman. To see her in such a state...His eyes slowly shifted from Sakura to the masked kunoichi, narrowing slightly.

"...You will pay for that..." Naruto hissed coldly through clenched teeth as his muscles tensed, the only warning sign given. Blurring with speed, Naruto appeared in front of Haku and buried his fist in her stomach, doubling her over and lifting her off the ground with the power put behind the blow. Suspended by the fist, Haku instinctively knew that it was only the beginning.

Moving too quick for the unaided eye to track, Naruto retracted his hand, spun around on his left foot while swinging his right leg up, and slammed the heel of his boot down on Haku's back, his heel connecting between her shoulders. Crying out in pain as she was smashed into the stone floor, Haku found herself paralyzed with agony, her face bloodied from her broken nose as her mask slid across the ground. Just as her body bounced off the ground from the impact, Naruto backflipped in place, kicking Haku in the face with his right foot. The impact was powerful enough to cause a resounding clap of sound to echo through the mist as the kunoichi was kicked back up onto her feet. Not even missing a beat, Naruto swung his left leg out to the side before his right foot could touch back down, but once it did, Naruto's shin made contact with the middle of Haku's ribs and sent the now-unmasked young woman flying off to the side.

"ARGH!" Haku cried out in even more pain as she slammed into the stone railing that ran along either side of the bridge, a small section being cracked and chipped by the impact. Going limp and falling to the ground, Haku found herself unable to force her body to move as she watched Naruto slowly walk over to her, a small vicious smirk forming on his lips. Her eyes remained locked on his four ivory fangs, a cold sweat forming all over her body.

"...You killed her..." Naruto muttered quietly as he crouched down half-way to her for a moment, picking up her mask with his left hand and examining it for a moment. Slipping it into the satchel-pouch at his left hip, Naruto continued on his way before crouching down once more, this time reaching down and grabbing Haku by the neck before lifting her into a sitting position with his hand still wrapped around her throat, staring into her eyes as he contemplated what to actually do with her. At that moment, Haku found herself feeling truly afraid for her life for the first time and it wasn't because of the promise of death; it was the man's eyes. When he spoke, his voice was quiet and as sharp as any blade, his words dripping with a venomous rage. "You killed _her_...and now...I'm going to kill _you_. You should feel special...I don't normally feed in the presence of others..."

"Urk..." Haku choked out as her eyes widened greatly, the red head's fangs buried in the side of her neck. A feeling of utter cold developed around the bite mark before it began to spread throughout her entire body, her vision going dark within seconds. Pulling back from her and a little breathless, Naruto couldn't stop the grin from forming on his bloodied face. Wiping the blood from his mouth and chin with his right hand, Naruto parted Haku's robes with his left hand before painting a circle on her chest with an upside-down triangle inside of it, using her blood for it.

"Jujutsu: Shitai Guujin Ketsueki Shoji." Naruto stated calmly as he formed a single handseal with his right hand while holding his left hand over the mark. Instantly, his and Haku's skin turned pitch black as white stylized skeletal markings decorated their blackened flesh. Without waiting another moment, Naruto and his new puppet stood up simultaneously and took off down the bridge. It took only a moment to locate Kakashi and Zabuza and after distinguishing them from one another, Naruto mentally commanded his new puppet to aid him in attacking Zabuza for a moment.

"What the-Haku?! What the hell is going on?!" Zabuza remarked, blocking Haku's kick, only to have a boot impact the back of his head while he was distracted. Rolling forward and springing back to his feet, Zabuza raised Kubikiri just in time to block the spiked fist with the flat side of his zanbatou, but he couldn't react in time when his attacker kicked him in the side of his head again, but the jounin managed to wrap an arm around the limb, lifting Kubikiri with his free hand to slay the figure. Letting the blade drop, Zabuza was shocked to find the spiked knuckle plate of Naruto's other glove blocking the zanbatou's cutting edge, a malicious fanged grin on the red head's face. Zabuza also took notice that Naruto's skin was black and white just like Haku's.

"Try again, 'Buza!" Naruto taunted before kicking the man's left knee in with his free foot, dislocating and destroying the joint, only for Zabuza to have replaced himself with a Mizu Bunshin at the last second. Raising his arms and crossing them over his head as he turned around while regaining his footing, Naruto blocked Kubikiri's blade, his grin still in place. Naruto's grin suddenly became a slight frown of confusion while his eyes widened slightly when a second Zabuza appeared behind him, swinging Kubikiri in a horizontal slash. "Uh oh..."

A moment later, the blade cleaved through his spine, gliding through the flesh of his lower abdomen before slicing through the Mizu Bunshin Zabuza had used to distract Naruto. Gritting his teeth out of sheer malice towards the red head for somehow desecrating Haku's precious corpse with some kind of kinjutsu, Zabuza stared down at the two halves that had once been whole. Then he noticed something. Naruto's left eye brow...it was twitching...

"Sonuvabitch! That fucking hurts, asshole!" Naruto suddenly roared at the man, honestly scaring Zabuza greatly, not knowing that one of Zabuza's greatest fears was a fear of the 'undead'; zombies, simply put. Then again, such fear was to be expected when the bisected corpse lying on the ground one moment started screaming and cursing at him the next. Tendrils of crimson chakra reached out from the bloody flesh and latched onto the opposite half of his body, quickly pulling them back together and allowing his extremely powerful healing factor to seal the wound and recombine both halves while every last drop of his spilled blood was pulled back into his body. Standing up, Naruto ripped his ruined mesh top off and tossed the scraps to the side before cracking his neck. "You ruined my favorite shirt, too..."

"Wha...What the fuck is going on here?!" Zabuza howled, only making Naruto look at him quizzically before cackling madly, having commanded 'Haku' to keep Kakashi from interrupting. So long as they were under his control, his 'corpse puppets' had the same healing factor as himself, making them truly powerful weapons in their own right.

"Hahaha! Welcome to my fucked up and twisted world, Momochi!" Naruto howled as he suddenly shot forward, smashing his head into Zabuza's face and knocking him out. Zabuza's world went black...

xXx

"Ngh...MM! HMPH, MMM!" Zabuza stirred with a groan before he was jarred awake by the memories of the creepy red head that wouldn't die. He found himself gagged and tied up, a length of rope running from his bound ankles to a large rock set off to the side. They were at the incomplete end of the bridge and it was about mid-day, probably the day after the incident on the bridge. That's when he was smacked across the side of his head as Naruto entered his line of sight, having returned back to normal. Grinning madly, Naruto leaned back against the wall and started cleaning under his nails with the tip of a kunai. Accidentally slicing through his pinky, though, Naruto's mood darkened in and instant. His eyes became cold and apathetic as he watched rivulets of blood trickle from the tip of his finger, only for the flesh to stitch itself back together.

"Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Insanity is doing the exact...same fucking thing...over and over again, expecting...shit to change." Naruto began as he started twirling the knife around in his hand, his sentences broken with momentary pauses, almost as if he were searching for the needed words or struggling to describe what he was thinking in a way someone else might understand. That, and he was rambling almost senselessly. "That...is crazy; but the first time somebody told me that...I dunno, I thought they were bullshitting me, so bam- I stabbed him. The thing is, okay...he was right. And then I started seeing: everywhere I looked, everywhere I looked, all these fucking pricks, everywhere I looked, doing the exact same fucking thing...over and over and over and over again thinking: 'This time, it's going to be different; no, no, no, no, no, please...This time it's going to be different.'"

"..." Zabuza stayed silent as he stared at the red head with defiant eyes, something that was obviously bothering Naruto as he pushed off from the wall and started pacing anxiously as he talked. Getting fed up with it, Naruto decided to address the apparent issue.

"...I am sorry, I don't like the way you are looking at me...Okay, do you have a fucking problem in your head? Do you think I'm bullshitting you? Do you think I'm lying?" Naruto started talking, getting progressively louder and more rabid in tone. He then brandished the kunai in his hand and swung it, cutting a thin and shallow gash across Zabuza's forehead. "Fuck you! Okay? FUCK YOU!"

"Ngh!" As Zabuza let out a brief, muffled cry of pain, Naruto forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. As he did, he sheathed his blade and stepped back.

"I'm gonna chill, brother. I'm gonna chill...The thing is...alright, the thing is, you were killed once already...and it's not like _I_ am fucking crazy. It's okay...It's water under the bridge." Naruto responded before putting his right foot on the rock and giving Zabuza a blank, emotionless stare. Zabuza's eyes widened with fear as he realized what was about to happen. "Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?"

"MMmmff!" Zabuza tried screaming through the gag as the rock was kicked over the edge, quickly pulling the rope taut. Futily clawing at the stone floor, Zabuza was pulled over the edge, plummeting to the water as he stared up at Naruto, who stared down at him blankly up until the man disappeared into the dark, cool depths of the strait separating Wave Country from Fire Country.**(1)**

"Hm...Stay dead this time, will ya?" Naruto muttered before turning around and walking back down the bridge, whistling a dark tune as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. As he passed by the large blood stain that scarred the bridge, Naruto recalled the glorious slaughter he wrought upon Gatou and his henchmen after knocking Zabuza out and having a Shadow Clone leave with the man's body to hide him for a little while. He then recalled when he first came to worship his Lord, Jashin. At the time, he had been only...five, was it? He no longer cared and thus, he no longer remembered properly. Anyways, he had stumbled across an old hideout of some sort while running from another mob that had been fully intent on killing him that night. There, he found a large scroll containing a handful of kinjutsu techniques, including the one that turned him immortal at the cost of having to drink blood kind of like a vampire to keep his strength up instead of eating food like a normal person, the pendant at his hip, and a new form of ninutsu; jujutsu, which was also known as sorcery, black magic, and voodoo to name a few.

Jujutsu just sounded better to him, though...

He never regretted performing the kinjutsu and what he told Zabuza about the definition of insanity? He was telling the truth. He had actually been in Zabuza's position at the time he had performed the kinjutsu, too. Well, kind of. The man that tried to end Naruto's life that night gave him the same monologue before stabbing him in the chest and turning to walk away. However, not wanting to die, Naruto pulled the large kitchen knife from his chest and formed the handseals needed for the kinjutsu, stabbed the man in the leg before he could react, and licked the man's blood from the blade.

That was all it took...

Unlike what the Jashinist cultists believe, there was no actual god called Jashin and there was no need to sacrifice in 'His' name. Jashin was actually the creater of the kinjutsu used for their immortallity and the first of them to come about. However, the man did start the cult, brainwashing his followers and making them believe he was a god. It wasn't until about a decade later that he mysteriously disappeared, which only proved to turn him into a martyr amongst the Jashinists back then. As time went on, the number of cultists gradually began to dwindle until one of them discovered the scroll containing Jashin's kinjutsu, thus becoming the first 'immortal acolyte' of Jashin. That was a long time ago, though, and thus, unimportant to him.

The truth was that the person that used the kinjutsu simply needed to make sure they either drank the blood of someone once a month, at minimum, or came into direct contact with a certain amount of the crimson liquid and letting it soak into their skin. All other acolytes tended to sacrifice, thus coming into contact with copious amounts of blood, however, it wasn't as effective as actually consuming that blood. Even if one were to completely submerge themself in blood, absorbing it through the skin would only last about a week at the most while draining a single average adult person dry of blood would last the acolyte almost a full month. Normally, the kinjutsu would stop the body from aging, but Naruto had discovered that if he fed primarily on animal blood, he continued to age normally without losing his immortality, but he was left slightly weaker than what he would normally be at.

Then again, _everything_ came at a price...

"...Naruto?" Kakashi asked from off to the side, breaking Naruto from his thoughts and making him realize he was already at Tazuna's home. Cocking an eye brow and looking at the jounin, Naruto stopped in his tracks with a flat look on his face. He knew this would happen. The jounin was going to question him about his 'abilities' and his actions back on the bridge. "Did you make sure he was dead?"

"...Huh?" Naruto responded dumbly, blinking a few times out of confusion. Of all things, how did he know about that?

"Did you make sure Zabuza was dead before you left?" Kakashi asked again, but Naruto still seemed to be confused as to how the jounin knew about it. "I'm a jounin for a reason, Naruto. One of the things I'm best at is tracking. Just before Gatou arrived, I noticed that your's and Zabuza's scents went away from the bridge even though you yourself never left. That brings another question to mind; where did you learn the Shadow Clone technique?"

"...First question first...Um...No, but I put a chakra suppression seal on him and took all of his pointy objects before he woke up. Also, the rope I used has steel wire in it, meaning he can't cut through it anyways. Besides, the knot I used makes the bindings pull tighter the more he fights. He'll drown before he can escape." Naruto answered, listing off the precautions he had taken. "As for the second? Weasel."

"...You mean..." Kakashi trailed off, recieving a nod from Naruto. It was unwise to mention Itachi's name around Sasuke. "When?"

"Well, the night before _that_ night, he left me a scroll with a note that said not to open until I graduated from the Academy. I can only imagine why..." Naruto responded before looking up at the sky. "Because of the kinjutsu I had performed on myself combined with my _tenant_, my chakra control was fucked up, causing me to fail twice due to being unable to perform the Bunshin technique. I got pissed off, opened the scroll, and discovered it was the Kage Bunshin. I then proceeded to learn and master it in a single night because I needed to vent quite a bit of anger. That same night, I spotted Mizuki and...Well, you know the rest..."

"Yes, I do..." Kakashi muttered in reply, cringing slightly at the memory. After catching up to Mizuki, Naruto had learned of his 'burden', the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The chuunin had thought it would affect Naruto and give him an opening to kill the brat. What he didn't realize is that Naruto was simply lost in thought and even after having a giant shuriken embedded in his chest, Naruto was still 'alive' due to the kinjutsu he had performed on himself when he was a kid. After that, Naruto had started laughing maniacally, which had been heard for a great distance as it cut through the night air. Which was shortly followed by a blood-chilling wail of agony that was Mizuki's prolonged death rattle...

Mizuki was later found by ANBU after Naruto returned the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing, but the man wasn't in one piece. His skin and flesh had been flayed and torn from his bones, his blood painting everything around his remains within a ten foot radius. Naruto had painted the Jashinist symbol on Mizuki's skull for some reason, never mentioning its purpose. Kakashi, who had been amongst the ANBU present, was only one of several to purge the contents of their stomach at the sight...

"Hmm...Good times...Well, I'm going hunting." Naruto muttered with a slight grin before stating, turning on his heel and walking into the forest, leaving Kakashi to shiver, still haunted by the horrifying image. Whistling another dark tune with his hands in his pockets, Naruto walked for what seemed like an hour or two before eventually coming to a stop at the edge of a clearing, the hideout Zabuza had been using resting at the other side.

Staring up at the suspended structure, Naruto stopped whistling and gained a faint smirk, only to vanish from his spot and reappear inside the building via the open door and a quick burst of chakra-enhanced speed combined with a jump. Walking down one of the short halls, Naruto came to a door and opened it, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. Lying on the table in the middle of the empty room was Haku's body, stripped of her clothing and runes painted all across her body in blood. The floor, walls, and ceiling were covered in a massive seal array, also having been done with blood. The main reason most jujutsu techniques were classified as kinjutsu was due to their heavy reliance on blood for the techniques to work. That, and the occassional dead body and/or live sacrifice, though the second varied between animals and human beings depending on the jujutsu being used.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Naruto inquired of no one in particular as he approached Haku's corpse while cracking his knuckles. Using a kunai, Naruto sliced open his left palm and slipped the weapon back into the pouch it came from before rubbing his hands together, coating his hands in his own blood before running through a long string of handseals. Falling on the final handseal, Naruto put his hands on the dead body's abdomen, calling out the name of the kinjutsu as a reddish smoke-like energy poured out from his blood covered hands and into the corpse. "Jujutsu: Akuryou Fukkatsu no Yokusei!"

xXx

"Mmm...Wha...What the hell just happened?" She groaned out quietly, her eyes squeezed shut and body racked with pain. Slowly forcing herself to sit up, she put a hand to her head and groaned again, her head pounding with a migraine. Her eyes snapped open at that thought. Hand? Looking at herself, Kurama discovered that she was no longer in her glorious Nine-Tailed Kitsune form, now having the body of a young _human_ female. She was also naked and lying on a table in the middle of an empty room. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Hmm...You're finally awake, eh?" A familiar voice inquired from behind her, making Kurama turn around and glare at the person, only to grow light-headed and dizzy from the sudden movement, causing her to lean down and take a moment to recover. A quiet, dark chuckle escaped the person. "I wouldn't suggest anything too..._strenuous_...You aren't used to your new body yet."

"What...What are you talking about?" Kurama wrasped out, slowly looking up to find Naruto standing there, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and a fanged smirk on his face. Nodding over to the side, Naruto's smirk only grew. Glancing over to where he had motioned, Kurama saw a full-body mirror propped up against the wall. Glancing back at the red haired human that honestly creeped her out ever since he came across that kinjutsu scroll, Kurama cautiously stood up from the table, taking her time in gaining her balance and stability before walking over to it.

"Oh my god..." She whispered, seeing herself as a human for the first time since the Sage had divided the Jyuubi, creating her and the eight other Bijuu. She stood at 5'9" with waist-length dark auburn red hair, skin the color of light cream that was free of blemish, the same exact eyes as Naruto's, and the kanji for 'Slave' staining the flesh of her toned and flat stomach. Her figure was slender, yet voluptuous bearing broad hips, a slim waist, long legs with muscular thighs, huge and perky plump breasts that she guessed to be around H-cups, a firm and meaty rump, and full pink lips. Spinning around and glaring at Naruto, Kurama quickly charged Naruto to attack him, only for the 'Slave' tattoo to flare up, causing pain to shoot through her body and make her drop to her knees, wrapping her arms around her midsection as she grit her teeth to keep from crying out in agony. "Y-You...bastard...What...What did you...do to me?"

"I gave you freedom. Limited as it may be, it is freedom, nonetheless." Naruto remarked coldly, glad to see that the Slave seal worked properly. While Kurama's spirit inhabited the body that had once belonged to Yuki Haku, the Kyuubi's chakra had been left behind in Naruto's body. Orginially, the Evil Spirit Restraining Resurrection didn't require the runes that had decorated Haku's corpse, but Naruto didn't want anyone getting suspicious as to why a dead woman was still 'alive' and applied a set of seals on the body that would change the body to properly match the personality and 'mental image' of the spirit that would inhabit the body, creating an entirely knew person altogether. The Slave seal was both a symbol of her standing and a control seal to keep her from intending harm on him now that she wasn't contained by the seal that imprisoned her within him. The stronger the feelings of ill intent, the greater the pain she would be forced to endure. "I decided to give you some simple comforts and let you escape the confining prison you had been in previously. Might not exactly be to your liking, but at least it is something."

"..." Kurama said nothing as she was covered with a baggy hooded black cloak, but she was grateful nonetheless and clutched it to her naked frame. That was when she noticed the hand held out to her, causing her to glance up at Naruto. Although her eyes showed defiance and hatred, she couldn't help noticing how nice he was being at the same time. Normally, Naruto would have just dropped the cloak on the ground and walked away, letting her fend for herself. "...Why? Why are you being nice?"

"...Because you're the only one that never left me, that never betrayed me. You're the only one that never hurt me. Not on purpose, at least." Naruto remarked quietly, helping Kurama to her feet after she grabbed onto his hand. Wrapping an arm around her waist to help support her, Naruto led her out of the room and to the master bedroom, however plain as the entire place may be. Attached to the side of the room was the master bathroom, but for now, he led her to the bed, letting her sit down and rest for the moment. "Do not mind the Slave seal. It was a part of the kinjutsu I used to free you and it also gives me some semblance of protection. Like when you had tried to attack me earlier..."

"..." Kurama said nothing in response, simply pulling the cloak around her body more tightly and keeping her head bowed. Sighing heavily, Naruto made his way to the door, opening it and pausing in the doorway. He then reached into a pocket and retrieved a storage scroll before setting it down on the dresser beside him.

"Some clothes. Go ahead and get some rest. We'll talk later." Naruto told her before finally stepping out, gently closing the door behind him. Glancing up at the door Naruto had just left through, Kurama stayed quiet before glancing to the bathroom. Deciding to listen to what he said, Kurama pushed herself to her feet and made her way to the bathroom, fully intent on taking a shower before getting some sleep...

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Jujutsu: Shitai Guujin Ketsueki Shoji- Sorcery: Corpse Puppet Blood Possession

Mizu Bunshin- Water Clone

Jujutsu: Akuryou Fukkatsu no Yokusei- Sorcery: Evil Spirit Restraining Resurrection

**(1)**Whoever can tell me where that monologue came from gets the non-existent, worthless, and absolutely tasteless 'Cyber Cookie of Legends'. I'll give you a hint:

_"Have you guessed the riddle yet?" The Hatter said, turning to Alice again._

_"No, I give it up," Alice replied: "What's the answer?"_

_"I haven't the slightest idea," Said the Hatter._

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Dead Fox

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Chapter Two

"Hnnn..." Kurama let out a whine-like groan of complaint as she tugged and pulled at her top. She was dressed in a pair of baggy dark blue sweat pants and a light grey tank top Naruto had found amongst Haku's limited wardrobe, both items being far too small on her. Her hips were just wide enough for the hem of the sweat pants to dig into her hips, the leggings were tight on her thighs and rear while the cuffs stopped short of her ankles, and she had simply refused to wear Haku's undergarments; they were _way_ too small for her, especially the bra. The top was stretched tight and barely covered her giant breasts, her fat cleavage bulging out of the low-cut collar while her nipples jutted out against the thin fabric of her top, her pink areola remaining visible through the over-stretched cloth. Thankfully, Naruto let her keep the cloak, which she wore over everything for modesty while out and about.

"I blame you for this..." Kurama growled out at Naruto as they walked down the road. They had just returned to Konoha that morning and after coming up with a bullshit story, Kurama was made a citizen of Konoha and made an official 'slave' of Naruto's. Later, once Kakashi had left, Naruto had told the Sandaime the truth about Kurama, explaining in 'full' detail as to the aspects of her existence outside of the seal placed upon his body on the night of his birth. To say the elderly Hokage was surprised was an understatement. At one point, Naruto swore the 'Professor' was having a heart attack...

"I know you do, but at least I'm offering assistance." Naruto replied before guiding her into a clothing store. "Go ahead and get yourself a full wardrobe. Just let me know when you're ready to go."

"Hai..." Kurama muttered quietly before disappearing amongst the rows of clothing while Naruto sat down on one of the benches in the store, draping his arms over the back as he stared up at the ceiling out of sheer boredom. It wasn't the fact he had to go shopping for Kurama that bored him, but the simple fact he had nothing to do. Sure, he could train, but there was only so much that would do for him these days. It wasn't like he could die...

But then again, he wouldn't be able to kill stronger opponents...

"Naruto?" Someone asked curiously from a short distance away, making Naruto look at the source with hooded black and red eyes. Standing there was none other than Mitarashi Anko, who had a look of surprised curiousity on her face. She then gave him a beaming grin, happy to see one of her few friends. Walking over to him, she hopped up onto the bench and sat down on the back of it. "I knew it was you. So what brings you here, Pretty Eyes?"

"...Her." Naruto responded while leaning his head back and lifting a hand to point at Kurama. Following the direction his finger was pointing, Anko saw the auburn haired woman and stared at her curiously before smirking teasingly. Before she could say anything, Naruto beat her to it. "No, we aren't. I met her while out in Wave Country. She asked to come to Konoha with us and I agreed. However, I...accidentally made her my slave..."

"...How the hell does _that_ work?" Anko questioned while scrunching up her face with a look of utter confusion, giving Naruto an incredulous glance, but the red head was still staring at the ceiling out of boredom.

"While we were in Wave Country, I killed Momochi Zabuza and his apprentice, Haku, as well as the man that hired them, Gatou. Afterwards, I got curious and raided the man's compound for anything of value. While searching the basement, I came across Kurama. The thing is, she had been sold into the slave trade recently and was just freshly broken, but only in spirit. No one had broken her _physically_ yet." Naruto remarked, lying through his teeth effortlessly. He was simply reciting the bullshit story he had told the Sandaime. "Anyways, I had literally stumbled upon her, falling on top of her and waking her up. However, she started calling herself my slave and after being begged for a day or two, I finally relented and agreed to it, if only to make sure she was well cared for...That, and to make her shut up about it..."

"And why are you here?" Anko asked, leaning over and looking down at Naruto, who simply stared up at her with hooded eyes. Why did she have to be so damn curious?

"While in Wave Country, I raided the hideout Zabuza and Haku had been using, looking for any clothing she could wear since she was nude when I found her." Naruto answered easily, turning his eyes back up to the ceiling. "Thus, I am in a clothing store with her, buying her new clothes that she likes and actually fit her."

"And how does she have the same gorgeous eyes you do, Naruto?" Anko questioned right after he finished, making Naruto take a slow deep breath. She was getting irritating now.

"To ensure she didn't get killed or anything, I performed one of my jujutsu on her, making her like me, only she doesn't have to drink blood like I do to sustain her strength." Naruto responded calmly and monotonously despite his growing annoyance. "The only catch is that if I were to somehow die, she would die as well. Luckily, my jujutsu keeps me from dying..."

"...Ah. Okay." Anko replied, nodding in acceptance, having known of his 'immortality' thing just as long as he had known about her Curse Mark. When she opened her mouth to ask another question, Naruto closed his eyes and sighed before swiftly reaching up and covering her mouth with his hand before she could utter a single syllable, holding the lower half of her face with his hand and keeping her from breaking free. Screaming and complaining into his hand, Anko futily struggled to free herself while Naruto continued to blankly stare at the ceiling.

"Ngh..." Kurama bit her bottom lip and blushed fiercely as she discovered the true size of her breasts, having found the _only_ bra that fit her; just barely. It was an H-cup and it was still a bit snug, but she could deal with it. But still...Why did they have to be so _big_? Luckily, it was a simple black bra that was surprisingly comfortable despite being a bit tight and it matched the black panties she had selected earlier. Sighing with reluctant resignment, Kurama dressed herself in her new chosen attire and examined herself in the full-body mirror to her right.

She was now dressed in an ankle-length black skirt with a slit running up her left leg all the way to her hip, a pair of black spandex short-shorts underneath the skirt, a long-sleeve mesh top, a sleeveless and midriff-bearing zippered black hoodie over it that she kept zipped up with her hair pulled forward over her left shoulder and the hood pulled over her head, black fingerless elbow-length gloves on her forearms, black kunoichi sandals on her feet, and a black bandana tied around her neck that she could pull up to cover the lower half of her face should she need to or want to. It also helped hide her cleavage better when not in use.

"..." Kurama was quiet as she gently touched the Slave kanji on her stomach while staring at it in the mirror, a strangely warm feeling filling her. For some reason, Kurama found herself feeling proud of the mark. It was weird because the entire time since she had been first imprisoned inside of Uzumaki Mito, Kurama had wanted nothing more than to either break free of the seals containing her or take control of her containers with either option resulting in the destruction of her container's body; Naruto had been no exception.

_'Until he gave me a physical form again. All because I was the only person to stay with him this whole time, whether by choice or not...'_ Kurama mused, another feeling of warmth filling her as she thought of his answer as to why he 'gave' her this body. Her mind then generated some rather steamy images and scenarios against her will, causing her cheeks to burn with a dark blush. Placing her hands on the wall of the changing room to steady herself, Kurama found herself shivering out of unexpected desire and need, her legs suddenly becoming weak and unsteady as her lust for him momentarily spiked. _'Wha...What is this feeling? Why am I behaving like this all of a sudden?'_

Shaking her head to clear it of such images and thoughts, Kurama took a minute to recompose herself before neatly folding and stacking her new clothes, gathering them up in her arms as she stepped out of the changing room. It was at that moment, she found Naruto holding a purple haired woman in fishnets and a trench coat by the face, keeping her at arm's length with a bored expression on his face as he stared at the ceiling while the woman was struggling to pull away from his hand and escape his clutches, screaming and doubtlessly cursing into the palm of his hand the whole time.

"Leave the poor woman alone, Master." Kurama remarked, only to blush and her eyes to widen slightly when she realized that she had addressed him as 'Master' and not 'brat' as she had intended. What the hell was going on?

"...Fine." Naruto muttered nonchalantly as he finally let Anko go, making the older woman fall back with a brief cry and land on her back. Internally, however, Naruto was smirking. The Slave seal was taking effect. What no one knew was the fact that it affected a person's mind and behaviour over time, turning even the most stubborn and dominate into the most submissive and obedient. He was honestly surprised it was taking effect so soon. It had only been a week since he had performed the Akuryou Fukkatsu no Yokusei jujutsu on her. It shouldn't be taking hold so fast...

"Gah! What the hell, Pretty Eyes?! If you wanted me to be quiet, you just had to ask!" Anko spat as she sat up and glared at Naruto, who simply stood up and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Pointless. You wouldn't have listened." Naruto responded as he walked away with Kurama to pay for her new clothes. Anko couldn't help agreeing with him.

"Yeah, you've got a...Hey!" Anko spat at the end, realizing what Naruto had actually said, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting childishly for a moment.

"Geez..." Naruto sighed as he found his custom-ordered sharkskin wallet to be uncomfortably empty for once. Sighing once more and slipping it into his back pocket as they walked down the road, Naruto glanced over at Kurama, who seemed to be in deep thought as she walked a couple steps behind him. Taking a moment to examine her attire, Naruto noticed that she had left the Slave kanji visible, almost as if she were proud of it. _That_ was something unexpected. From what he knew of the technique, most of those the Slave seal had been used on tried to hide the mark at all times, almost as if they were ashamed of it. The only time they weren't was after the seal had taken full effect and had completely reworked their personality and behaviour.

Then again, it had never before been used on a Bijuu spirit inhabiting a once-dead body...

"Hey...You alright?" Naruto inquired as he slowed down a little so that he fell in step beside Kurama, startling her from her thoughts. Even though she was his 'slave', Naruto still cared for her. She was still one of his very few 'friends'. She was probably the only one, now that he thought about it.

"Huh? Y-Yeah. Just...confused." Kurama responded quietly, before blushing faintly and looking away stubbornly. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

"Hm. Whatever you say." Naruto replied, hanging the bags he was carrying over his left shoulder for a more lax stance. He then noticed one of his favorite restaurants. While he needed blood to keep up his strength, it didn't mean he still couldn't enjoy food like 'normal' people. "Hey, you hungry? How's barbeque sound to you?"

"That actually doesn't sound too bad, Ma...Master..." The auburn haired Bijuu answered, blushing fiercely again when she called him 'Master' again, this time with a slight stutter as her voice softened upon uttering the word, having attempted to say something else, but it still came out as 'Master'. Why did she keep calling him that? It was starting to bother her, but for some reason...it sounded right. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Kurama followed after Naruto as he made a Shadow Clone and had it take Kurama's clothes back to his apartment before leading her to the barbeque restaurant for some lunch...

xXx

"..." Whistling a dark tune as he walked deeper into Training Ground 13 for some experimentation, Naruto found Kurama's presence to be...interesting. Before, he was perfectly content with living alone, but now that he wasn't anymore, Naruto couldn't even sleep at night without being in the same room as Kurama. Strangely enough, it turned out that neither could she. It had been six months and she had been adapting to her new living situation rather well and was even starting to thoroughly enjoy it, much to Naruto's relief. His greatest fear when he transfered Kurama's spirit from his body and into the one she now inhabited was that she would hate it and, by osmossis, hate him. It was mostly because he was unable to reverse the process; doing so would kill him. The only reason he survived was because he was an Uzumaki and only an Uzumaki can survive having a Bijuu spirit removed from their bodies. They were also the only ones capable of successfully containing the Kyuubi, but he didn't really care about that fact anymore...

"Maaan...I don't know how I'm going to do this..." Naruto suddenly grumbled, scratching the back of his head as he came to a stop in the middle of a clearing. He had known of his mother, Uzumaki Kushina, for some time, but he just never bothered bringing it up to anyone. That was when Kurama had mentioned his mother having some weird ability that involved creating chains of chakra that shot out of her body and it got Naruto's attention. Unfortunately, it was like having to build all of Konoha by himself without an instruction manual while his only tools were a paper-clip, a rubber band, and a tuning fork. _'No, wait. That's what I used to make a sling-shot back when I was a kid...'_

"Why don't you try focusing your chakra and pushing it out from a specific part of your body?" Kurama offered, taking a seat under a tree with her legs tucked under her to watch Naruto. Glancing at her with a cocked eye brow, Naruto shrugged, figuring it wouldn't hurt to try. Or would it? Dismissing the thought, Naruto decided to try doing it with the palm of his right hand. If it ruined the glove, then...Oh, well. He had a dozen identical pairs of them anyways. Closing his eyes for a moment and gathering his chakra in the middle of his right palm, Naruto started pushing it through and what resulted from it caught him off guard completely.

_BOOOM!_

"...S-Sonuva...*Cough*...bitch..." Naruto groaned from his spot under a tree, having been sent flying several meters by the explosive detonation of chakra. Upon hitting the ground face-first, Naruto was sent tumbling until he hit a tree, sitting on his neck and shoulders while his feet hung forward in front of his head. Hearing Kurama giggling relentlessly, Naruto could only groan with discomfort again before he slowly fell over onto his left side, grunting slightly as he did. He looked at his right hand, cocking an eyebrow when he found his glove undamaged along with the rest of his clothes. Hell, even his mesh top was untouched and the damn thing _always_ got ruined no matter what he was doing; he could be standing still in the middle of nowhere and it would _still_ get damaged somehow. "Huh...Weird..."

"Come on! Give it another try!" Kurama called out from across the clearing, prompting Naruto to raise his right hand and flip her off, which only made Kurama laugh even more. Sighing heavily as he pushed himself off the ground and walked back into the middle of the clearing, Naruto dusted himself off and decided to try again.

"This time, not so much chakra and less force..." Naruto muttered quietly to himself, making the proper adjustments as he did. However, just like before, the chakra exploded in his hand and sent him right back to where he was and in the exact same position. Gaining a flat look, Naruto stared off into the distance. "...Sonuvabitch..."

xXx

"..." Naruto was silent as he sat in the chair in the testing room for the First Exam of the Chuunin Selection Exams. It had been three days since he had first attempted to recreate his mother's chakra chains and he had yet to get anywhere with it other than successfully blowing himself up. Kicking his feet up on the desk and clasping his hands behind his head, Naruto leaned the chair back on its hind legs and stared up at the ceiling. He hated written tests. He also hated paperwork in general and after discovering that most of the work a Hokage does is paperwork, Naruto quickly found another dream; being a hunter-nin. Or an ANBU agent...

_'Maybe a combat instructor at the Academy? Ooh, that'd be fun...'_ Naruto thought to himself, snickering at the mental image of the students freaking out after he somehow broke his neck and was still alive or was covered in kunai and shuriken and was grinning like an idiot the whole time. _'I bet they'd call me Deddo-sensei...'_

"..." Ibiki was silent as he kept his eye on the strange red head. He had heard about him being supposedly immortal due to being a 'Jashinist' or something along with having an incredibly foul mouth at times. He also used to have a nasty reputation as a nefarious prankster when he was younger. Luckily, after graduating to genin, the number of pranks reported across the village had plummeted drastically. When Naruto snickered to himself again with another vicious grin on his face while staring up at the ceiling, Ibiki's eyes narrowed, his eye brow twitching.

_'What is he planning? He's up to something, but what?'_ The tokubetsu jounin pondered. He _loathed_ the red head, who seemed completely immune to his torture and interrogation tactics. Naruto had once broken into the ANBU T&I Deperatment _just_ so he could spend some 'time' with Ibiki in one of the legendary interrogation rooms. For some reason, Ibiki had found it difficult to even look at Naruto as another human being, but it was to be expected when Naruto continued to taunt him and laugh hysterically while Ibiki used almost every trick he had to make Naruto talk. Including physical torture such as beating the shit out of him, cutting him, stabbing him, electrocuting him, water-boarding, burning, and anything else that came to his mind. Hell, he couldn't even make the brat tell him what color the sky was...

And yet after a visit from Yamanaka Inoichi, Naruto had instead managed to reverse the psyche evaluation on the blonde mind-walker, still pass the evaluation with flying colors, and cause Inoichi to commit himself to a few months of psychological therapy sessions of his own...

_'Ehehe...That'd be awesome! I could scare the little kids all day long and teach them something at the same time!'_ Naruto continued imagining himself as an instructor at the Academy. That was when a frown formed at a thought. _'But if I'm a teacher, that also means paper work...and I HATE paperwork...Okay, scratch that. I'm not being a teacher. Maybe a jounin instructor? Yeah, that'd be cool. Get my own group of runts to boss around and brainwash into being obedient little minions as I train them to be uber powerful and kick 'bad-guy' ass...Ehehehehehe...Excellent...'_

"..." Hinata was silent as she glanced at the red head sitting beside her, her cheeks turning a faint pink as she stared at his relatively bare, chiseled abdomen. Ever since she had first seen him back in the Academy, there was something about him that kept drawing her attention, eventually causing her to form a crush on him that had only been growing stronger ever since.

Standing at 5'6", Hinata's dark indigo hair was waist-length and pulled forward to hang over her right shoulder in a smooth glossy curtain, her skin was a pale light cream color that was free of blemish, and her eyes were a soft shade of lavender unlike the usual stark white pupil-less eyes of the Hyuuga clan. She was dressed in a pair of baggy black pants, a black short-sleeve skin-tight top under her incredibly baggy lavender hoodie that had white sleeves and lavender cuffs, black kunoichi sandals on her feet, and her hitai-ate tied around her neck on a black cloth. Like usual, she had the hood pulled over her head and her hands were hidden by the cuffs of her sleeves.

"...Hm?" She hummed softly, noticing something about his test paper that was trapped under the heel of his right boot; the entire page had been covered in the jagged sketch of the pendant that hung at his left hip. Written beneath it in the same sketchy format were the words 'Fuck You, Morino!'. Frowning slightly at the vulgarity, Hinata glanced back at Naruto's face and blushed faintly before looking back down at her own paper and reactivating her Byakugan, using her bangs to hide her eyes from view as she cheated off someone else's paper.

_'So that's Uzumaki Naruto, hm? I don't see what's got Orochimaru-sama so excited about him...'_ Kabuto mused curiously as he glanced back at Naruto, using the reflection in the window beside him to see the red haired genin. _'I'll have to keep my eye on him...'_

_'Oh, oh, oh! Maybe I could work at a really fancy restaurant as a chef, cut my pinky off, and stick it in someone's food before they're served!'_ Naruto thought darkly with an evil grin, his eyes glinting with insanity. It was obvious his thoughts were progressivly getting darker and darker... _'But then there'd be all that damn paperwork from the lawsuit...FUCK!'_

"Alright! Pencils down! We'll begin the tenth question now!" Ibiki called out, startling a few of the weaker hearted genin present.

"Fuckin' _finally_! I thought I would actually die of boredom over here!" Naruto exclaimed as he brought his feet off the desk, a vicious fanged grin splitting his face as he leaned forward and locked eyes with Ibiki, who simply stared back coldly. He would never openly admit it, but those strange eyes of Naruto's creeped him out a little...

xXx

"ARGH! GOD FUCKIN' DAMN IT!" Naruto roared to the sky, making his team mates take a step away from him and sigh. "What is it with these people and fucking _paperwork_?!"

"Relax, will ya? It's just one piece of paper and all you have to do is sign it. It's a liability waiver." Sasuke growled out at the psychotic red head, digging the tip of his pinky finger into his ear in an attempt to fix his hearing in that particular ear. "If you don't sign it, you can't participate."

"Well, fuck that! I'm killing _something_ today..." Naruto snarled, gaining a strangely wicked grin on his eyes as he signed the paper with a flourish, except it was in the same sketchy and ragged form as what he had scribbled onto the test sheet back at the Academy. He couldn't help it. Immortality didn't mean he was instantly gifted with perfect handwriting, which was really weird since his calligraphy skills in fuinjutsu were near the level of a Seal Master...

"Sounds like someone's a little cocky." Kiba joked with Chouji, only for Naruto to suddenly glare at him over his shoulder with a crazed look in his eyes.

"You wanna be that 'something'?" Naruto growled out at Kiba, making the normally brash and stupidly courageous Inuzuka shake his head negatively, paling with fear as he broke out into a cold sweat. Snorting in response, Naruto turned back around. "That's what I thought, _bitch_."

"Geez...What's got you so wound up today, Naruto?" Sakura muttered, making Naruto grin fiendishly. It only served to make the pinkette shiver slightly, pitying the poor fool that would be Naruto's next victim.

"Hehehe...Blood. This forest...I can smell it." Naruto muttered with madness for a moment before speaking a little more clearly, though insanity remained present in his tone. "This forest is covered in blood and it smells _delicious_...I can't wait to add my own share to feed its plant life..."

_'Oookay...Memo to self: Don't let Naruto near my garden. EVER.'_ Sakura thought to herself, creeped out by her team mate's sudden bout of obnoxious insanity. As they turned in their waivers and were handed an Earth Scroll, Sasuke immediately passed it to Naruto, who merely cocked an eye brow and silently slipped the scroll into a pouch behind his waist. Except, he never got an answer, which made Naruto pout slightly, but he let it go after a moment while another though crossed his mind.

"Ehehehehe...I can't wait to test them out..." Naruto muttered, slipping his fingers into the pouches at his hips. Hearing him, Sasuke and Sakura glanced at him as they neared their designated gate.

"Test what out, Naruto? You learn a new jujutsu or whatever they were?" Sakura replied, only for Naruto's face to be split by the bloodthirsty grin of a feral mad-man. Reaching into the pouches until his forearms had disappeared into them, Naruto withdrew his arms, revealing the weapons he had been learning to use properly since he first became immortal.

His wrists were covered in a broad ring of smooth dark crimson metal that locked his wrists in place while the same dark crimson metal stretched down to his elbows and covered the back of his hands with a second plate covering his palms. Touching the tips of his index and middle fingers to the 'bracelet' of either item, the metal around his forearms somehow expanded to completely wrap around the forelimb, sheathing his fingers in claws of dagger-sharp metal. The spiked strip running across his knuckles fused with the new gauntlets before a line of back-swept spikes ran down the length of the gauntlets to his elbows.

"Hehehe...Not exactly." Naruto commented while flexing his armored hands, his eyes gleaming with insanity and a lust for slaughter. "I came across these when I became immortal. The only reason I haven't used them yet is because I hadn't quite figured out how to 'activate' them until just last week. I plan on ripping apart _at least_ a dozen hapless fools while we're here, so try to cut the chatter short, alright?"

"H-Hai..." Sasuke muttered, finding himself feeling afraid of his team mate again. In the past, he never thought of the red head as a threat, but after the fight on the bridge back in Wave Country...Specifically, the deaths of the Demon Brothers...There was just something about Naruto that continued to unsettle him, paralyzing him with fear some times, and terrorizing him with reoccuring nightmares of the taller and slightly older genin. For some reason, his fears had begun to tweak his nightmares of the Uchiha Massacre, replacing Itachi with Naruto. Instead of hatred, Sasuke only felt fear...

xXx

"AAAAAAHHH!" The scream of terror and pain echoed through the forest, bringing a smirk to Naruto's face before he started chuckling, only for it to become hysterical laughter. Although it still scared his team mates, they were slowly starting to get used to his fits of maddening instability.

"AHAHAHAHAHAAA! OH, I can't wait to be unleashed upon some pathetic fucker!" Naruto snarled with barely restrained excitement and anxiety. It was made obvious, not just by his insane ramblings, but also by the constant flexing of his armored and clawed hands, his slitted red and black eyes darting back and forth in search of prey to rip apart. He had already ripped apart three giant tigers, skinned two giant snakes, and mauled a giant bear that inhabited the Forest of Death with his clawed gauntlets. When they came to a stop in a clearing, Naruto suppressed a growling whine not unlike that of an anxious wolf pacing back and forth as it awaited the order to attack. "Grrr...What the fuck are we stopping for?"

"...I have to piss..." Sasuke muttered back in reply, disappearing behind some bushes. Letting out another growling whine, Naruto actually started pacing back and forth. It had only been thirty minutes and he had heard the deaths of at least five people, yet not a single unlucky bastard crossed their path?! It just wasn't fair! Why did the unworthy maggots get such precious gifts?! Hearing a rustling of leaves behind him, Naruto glanced behind him to find Sasuke stepping back out, a faint look of relief on his face. Naruto's eyes narrowed, sensing that something wasn't right. "Hah...Come on. Let's get going. We have a long-"

"Yari Jigoku!" Naruto suddenly spat as he stepped forward with his right foot while turning his right side towards the Uchiha, thrusting his right hand forward at an upward angle from his hip with his clawed fingers extended forward and palm up. Instantly, his gauntlets sparked with crimson electricity before a smooth and narrow cone of blackened rock and earth burst from the ground just a couple feet in front of him, shooting forward and impacting Sasuke's face, destroying the genin's skull in an explosion of blood and gore as the 'spear' continued on to impale the tree behind him. Just before Sakura could scream in terror, the Henge was dispelled, revealing the headless remains of an Ame genin. "...Go get him and stay out of the way. I'll deal with the others..."

"O-Others?" Sakura stuttered out as she turned to face her suddenly calm and apathetic team mate when two more genin appeared on the other side of the clearing, dressed similarly to their fallen team mate. Without another word, Sakura disappeared into the forest to locate Sasuke. At the same time, Naruto cracked his neck and popped his knuckles, a small and vicious fanged smirk forming before slowly spreading into a broad, but slim grin of pure malice.

"You killed Mubi...You son of a bitch..." Kagari hissed as he readied a handful of kunai. Oboro simply started running through handseals before falling upon the last one and calling the name of his technique.

"Kasumi Juusha." He stated coldly before black-clad and blindfolded figures started rising from the ground or pulling themselves out of any other surface around the clearing while the two white-clad genin sunk into the ground. Naruto's grin only became more manic as his eyes widened with an even greater thirst for blood. It was a weak genjutsu, but Naruto didn't care; he loved playing with his 'food' before going for the kill. The _FEAR_ added natural seasonings to their blood...

"Ehehehe...Hahahaha..." Naruto started laughing again as a kunai was impaled in his forehead only for another to stab into the right side of his throat, two more to embed themselves in his upper back, three in his stomach, two in his right thigh, one in his left, one in the right side of his chest, three in the left, and four more kunai to bury their biting blades in his lower back. His laughter never stopped, however, only growing louder and louder with every new blade. "Hahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Wha...What the fuck is this guy?!" Kagari whispered to his remaining team mate fearfully before chucking another kunai just as Naruto turned only his upper body and leaned back slightly, grinning wickedly as he looked directly at them despite being stuck in the genjutsu, the thrown dagger stabbing into his right eye without notice from the red head. Oboro and Kagari froze with absolute fear, both visibly shaking as Naruto turned towards them fully and started walking towards him. "D-De...De...D-D-De..."

"...Ehehehe..." Naruto chuckled quietly and darkly for a few moments, disappearing half-way and letting the sound echo through the clearing for a moment before reappearing behind them. Grabbing the blindfolded Ame genin by the back of his shirt, Naruto pulled him close before sinking his fangs into the side of Kagari's neck from behind while his claws dug into the teen's left shoulder and the right side of his chest, the genin screaming with terror and pain the entire time until he became too weak with blood loss. Oboro let out a scream of fear of his own as he stumbled back, only to fall. Crawling backwards out of utter terror, Oboro watched as Naruto dropped Kagari's bloodless corpse on the ground, his mouth and chin dripping with crimson blood.

"St-Stay back..." Oboro hissed frightfully as Naruto wiped his chin with his right hand before crouching down and drawing a circle on Kagari's forehead in the dead genin's own blood, adding an upside triangle to the inside of the circle before holding his hand over the mark. "Wha...What are you doing?!

"Hehehe...Jujutsu: Shitai Guujin Ketsueki Shoji." Naruto muttered with a monstrous grin on his face, never taking his eyes off of the sole living Ame genin in the clearing. He watched as Oboro's eyes widened with even greater fear as Naruto's and Kagari's skin blackened before white skeletal markings formed. His grin grew even more maddening as tears came to Oboro's eyes as Kagari's possessed corpse began to stand back up and turn towards him. Reaching over and tearing off Kagari's rebreather mask as he formed a single handseal, Naruto stated the name of his next technique. "Jujutsu: Kannibaru Koopusu."

"Graah..." Kagari groaned out as his mouth opened, revealing the sharp teeth that now filled his jaws as his nails became large claws of bone that tore through the meat and skin of his finger tips. Oboro started whimpering fearfully as he continued crawling back, unable to tear his eyes away from the monstrousity his dead team mate and friend had become. Opening his mouth even wider until the flesh of his cheeks were ripped and torn, Kagari started advancing on Oboro, causing the momentarily still living Ame genin let loose a scream of unholy horror and agony. The whole time, Naruto could only laugh with blood-lusting insanity as he started pulling the kunai out of his body, watching the possessed corpse of Kagari begin to eat Oboro while the genin was still alive.

Once Oboro was dead, Naruto frowned slightly, realizing the genin's corpse was too heavily mauled to be of any use to him. His healing factor was good, but it only repaired the damage done to a Corpse Puppet _after_ being possessed. Forming a handseal, Naruto whispered 'Kai' under his breath, causing Kagari's corpse to disappear in a plume of smoke just as his team mates neared. A couple moments later, Sasuke and Sakura appeared from the brush, both noticing the lack of a third body from the genin team, but they knew better than to pursue such inquiries whenever Naruto was involved. They were afraid of what the answer might be...

"Ngh...They caught me off guard..." Sasuke muttered out, the closest thing to an apology they were going to get, as he and Sakura did their best to ignore the fear and disgust welling up inside of them. Naruto didn't respond, only grinning madly still after adding another puppet to his collection. Checking Oboro's mutilated corpse, Sasuke found the Heaven scroll in the now-deceased genin's possession. Without another word, they returned to their journey, heading straight for the Central Tower. As they ran at top speed, Naruto couldn't help thinking back on his selection of such Corpse Puppets.

The journey to Wave Country had granted him a great many puppets. Among them were all three hundred of Gatou's thugs, the Demon Brothers, Haku, and even Momochi Zabuza. What was so great about the 'black magic' kinjutsu was that it had no effect on the user; only the target. What was even greater about it was the fact that he only needed the body and some blood of the person he wished to turn into another macabre marionette. The number of Corpse Puppets he could control at one time didn't depend on his chakra or how many chakra strings he could form.

_'Pfft...Chakra strings...'_ Naruto mentally scoffed, finding the thought purely amusing. No. His Corpse Puppet Blood Possession technique was limited only by the darkness in his heart. Not necessarily 'Evil', but the darkness. That included emotions such as anger, sorrow, pain, grief, loneliness. Even his blood lust. Oh, did he have blood lust...Honestly, he had no idea what his true limitations were in concerns to the number of Corpse Puppets he could control, but he figured he would find out one day. For now, he would limit himself to only a couple at a time. Just to be safe...

"..." A dark, but controlled grin formed on Naruto's face as he trailed behind his team mates by a couple meters, the three of them leaping through the massive branches of the trees that inhabited the Forest of Death. Looking ahead, Naruto saw the Central Tower coming into view, his grin growing slightly...

xXx

"Now here! Please take a look at the time!" The chuunin exclaimed, jabbing a finger at the television screen after putting in the tape of the security cameras inside the Central Tower. Anko's eyes widened with shock at what she was seeing. It was of Team 7, Naruto's team, walking through the double doors with both scrolls in hand. "This is the recording of the second test, an hour and fifteen minutes into it!"

"That means they...beat the old record by almost three hours!" One of the ANBU exclaimed, one of two that had retrieved Anko earlier. The chuunin nodded before he then held up a second tape, replacing the first one and pointing at the corner where the time stamp was located.

"That's not all. Look at this one..." He mentioned, the tape playing to reveal the lone Suna genin squad to enter the exams. The time showed that they had arrived just twenty minutes after Team 7 did. "These guys are not genin level."

"That's not all." Anko spoke up, confusing everyone. She decided to explain. "It's ten kilometers from the arena entrance to the tower. Wild beasts, poisonous insects, rough terrain...They made it seem as if it was nothing."

"What's up the red haired kid?" The chuunin inquired.

"Which one?" The second ANBU inquired, reminding everyone that there was a red head on both teams.

"Either one. The one from our village looked crazier than all Hell while the one from Suna..." The chuunin shivered slightly, finding them both creepy and intimidating in their own ways. "The one from Suna doesn't have a single scratch on him. Probably not even a single speck of dirt, either."

"Geez..." The first ANBU muttered. Everyone in the room was left stunned beyond reasoning by the revelation. The Chuunin Exams were going to be quite exciting this time around...

If only they knew the reality of it all...

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Deddo-sensei- Dead Teacher

Yari Jigoku- Hell Spear

Henge- Transformation

Kasumi Juusha- Mist Servant

Jujutsu: Kannibaru Koopusu- Sorcery: Cannibal Corpse


End file.
